Nouveau Chat
by AureliaAndMidnight
Summary: In which Ladybug goes out for a quick jaunt around her city, but is disturbed by a shadow darting in front of a lamp.


Ladybug vaulted over the roofs of her city, admiring the lights and the peace. Most nights she sat alone in her room as Marinette, drawing, thinking, or falling asleep over her homework. Other nights she decided to go out for a moonlit jaunt. But rarely.

It was difficult, she thought, saving Paris by herself. It would be nice to have a sidekick, or maybe even a partner, to help her quell the akuma. Safer, probably. But she also wondered about how having a partner would affect her. Getting...attached, would prevent her from thinking logically to defeat an akuma. Emotions would likely cloud her judgement. And they would likely be inexperienced, a liability, that she would have to take time to train them. No, too difficult. Risky.

And besides. She couldn't wish the life she led on anyone. Constantly ditching her friends, turning down invitations to go out, sleep deprivation, the problems of getting attached to anyone in case Hawk Moth figured it out, and the danger...no. Not a happy life.

Occasionally it was fun, enjoying her powers. However, the girl with midnight hair reminded herself that she had a duty. A duty to protect Paris.

So her few nighttime jaunts were never very long. They were just long enough for her to swing to the top of the Eiffel Tower, rest for a few minutes, and then make her way back to the bakery.

Tonight was a little different. Tonight, as she sat on the Eiffel Tower, the girl in the mask spotted a patch of darkness darting in front of a street lamp. She tensed. Akuma? This late? Even villains must have to sleep. Ladybug made her way to the ground, searching the rooftops for a trace of the darkness. There! Silently, the heroine slung her yoyo to a lamp a few feet away from the advancing figure. She jumped, and arrived just in front of the akuma.

"Going somewhere?" Ladybug asked coldly. The shadow turned out to be a boy, not much older that she, in a ridiculous looking black catsuit, complete with the ears and tail. Hawk Moth's horrible outfit taste, obviously. His green eyes widened, but he visibly composed himself. No stranger to reigning in his emotions, she noted.

"Im practicing," he told the girl in red spandex.  
She gave him a calculating stare, sizing him up.  
"Akumas don't normally 'practice' before attacking innocent civilians."

He snorted. She glared. He shut up.

"I'm not an akuma, milady," he said, grinning at the heroine. "I'm a hero." Ladybug sighed. "I didn't think akumas would be stupid enough to give me that load of horse dung so soon after Volpina. I'm not giving you my miraculous, so you might as well surrender." One of the perks about being a hero-bravado was always fun.  
The cat boy rolled his eyes and muttered something about a...plack, whatever that was.  
"I have a miraculous," said the akuma. "And a kwami. And I know that after I use Cataclysm I have five minutes before I change back. Besides, if I was an akuma, wouldn't I have attacked already instead of having a conversation with the greatest heroine Paris has ever known?"

"Cut the flattery, cat boy. You're smart, I'll give you that. So, looks like I have a sidekick," she sighed, suddenly brusque and...less cold? The cat boy filed this away for further investigation. Frigid to slightly above zero. Okay.

Ladybug was mentally rolling her eyes at the obvious cat pun in his power's name.

Suddenly Cat Boy bristled, her words sinking in. "I'm not a sidekick," he replied angrily. "I'm supposed to be your partner." Ladybug scoffed. "A newbie couldn't be my partner. Where were you when Stoneheart attacked?" She turned away from him. "A sidekick wouldn't be able to keep up, either," she said, swinging back in the direction of the Eiffel Tower. Was that her way of issuing a challenge?

The newbie grinned, narrowed his glowing green eyes, extended his baton, and pole vaulted to the nearest roof. Ladybug was a red blur in front of him, fading quickly. He gritted his teeth. She was fast.

He needed to cat-ch up.

The chase continued with Ladybug leading the black cat hero on a roundabout way to the Eiffel Tower. She never glanced back to check if he was following. She knew he hadn't caught up yet, so why bother? Besides, turning around would slow her down.

She slung her yoyo to a crossbar in the Eiffel Tower and began to climb up. At this, the boy in black leather hesitated.

She called back, "Don't chicken out now, newbie. This is the fun way." Cat Boy sighed and, mustering his resolve, began to use his baton to climb up the tower. He made to the bar Ladybug perched on a few seconds after her.

"You're fast, that's good," Ladybug said appraisingly, looking out over Paris. He put his hands in his knees, breathing hard. "That was unexpectedly fun, my lady," he said, motioning to the crossbars below. She tensed. "I'm not your anything," Ladybug snapped. "We'll save the city when we need to, but you, mister, can cease and desist the flirting." Softening, she asked, "But what's your name? I don't think Paris will appreciate a hero named 'Cat Boy'." The blonde, who had flinched from her previous, sudden tirade, now thought, scratching his head. "Chat Noir," he said finally.

"Black cat," she mused. "Fitting. Go to bed. Akuma tomorrow." She slung her yoyo to a crossbar below. Chat Noir stayed frozen for a second from her quick dismissal, then shook out his waves of golden hair and began the arduous downward climb.

Thoughts of the black spotted heroine accompanied him all the way down. Most of these were questions, such as, why was she so cold? Was that something the miraculous caused? What next?  
And most of all-who is she?!

Sometimes, when Adrien lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, he made wishes. Wishes that rarely came true. He remembered the second to last one that happened was when he wished, quickly, that Nathalie wouldn't check on him that night. He was hiding a slice of pizza, from Nino.

The last one that was fulfilled-well. Ladybug had been fighting an akuma right outside his window. She looked haggard, with a desperation in her eyes Adrien saw plainly. She had defeated the akuma, but she had sprained her ankle in the process.

Adrien didn't care if the miraculous cure worked.

All he could think about was her scream when she landed wrong.

And so he wished to be able to help her. The next day there was a box in his room that contained the fulfillment of his wish.

And now, he mused, staring at the ceiling. At least I've gained her trust.

But who was she? Surely he'd know someone in real life who was just as cold and cynical. The only person he could think of was Chloe, but that didn't make sense. Chloe was blonde. Who had blue hair...well, Marinette did. Adrien berated himself for that thought. Marinette? Ladybug? Yeah, right. His girlfriend was the sweetest person he knew. She wasn't anything like Ladybug.

Oh, if only he knew.

As Ladybug made her way home, she scoffed at the image of Chat Noir. What an idiot, waltzing in like that. He could get himself killed. How has he gotten a miraculous, anyway? He had almost no skills.

Okay, maybe that last one was unfair, she scolded herself. He did make it up the Tower. Slowly, as she balanced on her balcony, Ladybug slipped into the persona of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The girl with midnight hair shed her shield of frigid ice for another of bumbling nervous energy.

What an odd creature she was.

Marinette, too, speculated about his identity. Blonde hair...green eyes...the only image off the top of her head was of Adrien. But that was a ridiculous thought. Her boyfriend would never go out cavorting on the roofs of Paris in the ugliest spandex suit in earth. He was the son of a fashion LEGEND for goodness sake. Marinette shook her head ruefully and undid her Ladybug pigtails and let her hair down. Tikki was eating her cookie, patrol was over, but her mind was awhirl. Chat Noir...she turned the name over and over again in her head. She snorted. More like Nouveau Chat.

A/N This was just some ridiculous idea that popped into my head randomly. I don't plan on continuing it, so if anyone wants to use this, feel free to. Just ask in a review or something since I don't use PM. Anyway, thank ee' for reading.


End file.
